Digital Commons Network^™

Trimble County Pond Closures, Steven Turner, Shanti Montgomery

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The Trimble County Closure Project is a 5-year project to close the 40-acre (161,900 square meters) Gypsum Storage Pond (GSP) through closure-by-removal and the 100-acre (404,700 square meters) Bottom Ash Pond (BAP) through closure-in-place in accordance with coal combustion residual (CCR) Rule. The excavated gypsum from the GSP was “Beneficially Reused” to fill the BAP to the prescribed grade for drainage through a monitored outfall to the adjacent creek. The daily plant produced CCRs of fly ash, bottom ash, and gypsum were also used for four years to supplement the filling of the BAP as well as several onsite soil/rock …

Green Infrastructure As A Strategy For Revitalizing Old Residential Neighborhoods: Evaluation Of Carbon Footprint And Energy Performance - Case Study Of Heliopolis, Cairo, Ahmad Abouisaadat, Eman Gameel, Shoroq Adel

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This study aims to address the challenge of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban areas, particularly in aging residential neighborhoods. Despite the benefits of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) and residential retrofitting, current research often examines these strategies separately, leaving a gap in understanding their combined impact at the district scale. The research proposes a methodology that integrates GIS-based spatial analysis, Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the effects of UGI (e.g., green roofs, urban trees) and retrofitting strategies on energy use, CO2 reduction, and urban microclimates. The study will provide …

Newspaper Clipping, Judy Smith

Lloyd Clark Papers

Article from The Shorthorn, The University of Texas at Arlington campus paper, sent to Lloyd C. Clark from Ms. Judy Smith from the Office of the President of The University of Texas at Arlington.

Building Better Partnerships: Design-Build Lessons From The Ash Pond Closure Front Lines, Brian Egan, Nicholas Golden, Mark Edlebeck

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This presentation shares lessons learned on an ash pond dig-and-haul project delivered by a design-build team with CTI providing engineering and Fisher Contracting delivering construction services. CTI and Fisher Contracting will discuss how they formed their partnership, what makes a good teaming arrangement work, and the challenges that come with working closely together. This team has worked side by side from early design through construction, which has helped cut costs and keep the project on schedule. The talk will show how the partners divide tasks, then adjust roles as needed instead of locking into a fixed plan. In some cases, …

Dewatering System Operations And Modeling Of A Bottom Ash Ccr Surface Impoundment, Craig Schuettpelz, Todd Stong, Ben Sieren

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Dewatering of coal combustion residual (CCR) surface impoundments is a technically challenging item for sites with CCR units at closure. Generation has ceased at this site where fly ash was mostly sold for beneficial use and bottom ash was sluiced to composite-lined CCR surface impoundments to passively drain prior to landfilling. During site closure and restoration, bottom ash and relatively minor amounts of other permitted waste materials were consolidated into the site’s landfill and bottom ash impoundment. The bottom ash impoundment entered closure 5 years ago with installation of a final cover system and construction of a sump to allow …

Illinois Coal Ash Impoundment Assessment, Randy Locke

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Coal combustion residuals (CCR) present one of the most significant waste management challenges in the United States. Illinois hosts 72 coal ash impoundments at 23 facilities across 22 counties. In 2019, the state enacted Public Act 101 0171 (Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act), followed by Illinois Administrative Code Title 35, Part 845, establishing CCR surface impoundment standards. Even with federal and state requirements, significant gaps remain in identifying management options and site-specific risks. Key limitations include: (1) incomplete understanding of ash composition and variability within and among impoundments; and (2) fragmented information on impoundment physical properties, operational status, and geological …

Challenges And Innovations In Tennis Coach Development: International Insights From Practitioners Across Continents, Miguel Crespo, Rafael Martinez-Gallego, Christine Nash

Journal of Coach Development

Tennis is a global sport with effective coaches being essential to the continued appeal, therefore the work of the coach developers within the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is crucial. This research examined the work and aspirations of coach developers in tennis using in-depth interviews with 10 ITF coach developers. Subsequently, we developed detailed pen portraits of two ITF coach developers at different levels of experience and engagement in order to highlight any differences in work, objectives or ambition. Findings from coach developers revealed three themes: support from ITF; barriers to learning; making learning less traditional. The pen portraits added further …

Letter From Dorothy

Lloyd Clark Papers

Letter to Dorothy asking if Mr. Clark's recollections of The Shorthorn edition following the Pearl Harbor attack might be included in the Centennial edition and requesting an editor's credit. Lloyd C. Clark sent his clippings dated August 15, 1995.

Correspondence Between Lloyd C. Clark And Ann Abbe

Lloyd Clark Papers

Correspondence between Lloyd C. Clark and Margaret Ann Abbe. The letters are dated 2 November, 1991.

Response Surface Modelling And Multi-Objective Optimisation Of Asphalt Binder And Mixture Properties Modified With Reclaimed Automotive Lubricants And Waste Glass Bottle Powder, Nura Shehu Aliyu Yaro, Jacob Adedayo Adedeji, Luvuno Nkosinathi Jele, Nasir Khan, Aliyu Usman, Jacob Olumuyiwa Ikotun

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Large volumes of reclaimed automotive lubricant (RAL) and waste glass bottle powder (WGBP) are disposed of inappropriately, causing serious environmental concerns. Furthermore, the paradigm shift towards sustainability in the pavement industry has prompted academics to investigate alternatives to conventional materials. As a result, one possible approach is to use these waste products as alternative materials in the asphalt pavement sector. This study investigated the combined use of RAL and WGBP as complementary modifiers, extending beyond the conventional single-modifier approaches reported in previous studies. Thus, in this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was utilised to optimise and predict the synergistic effects …

Conceptualising Economic Negative Constitutionalism: A Case Study Of The Israeli Supreme Court, Lilach Litor

Journal of Law and Public Policy

Social rights, such as the right to live with dignity, are included in universal treaties. Nevertheless, many constitutional documents and jurisdictions do not recognize social rights or tend to limit their scope.

The paper discusses this phenomenon in relation to two distinct approaches to constitutionalism—economic negative constitutionalism and positive social constitutionalism. The former tends not to recognize social rights as constitutional rights, while the latter posits that the state is under an obligation to actively recognize their constitutional status and provide wide protection for them. Economic negative constitutionalism could also be characterized as recognizing only a limited scope of social …

Privacy-Preserving Local Authorization For Regulated, Safety-Critical, And Financial Systems, Jonathan Stephen Baker

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes systems and methods for controlling access to regulated, age-restricted, safety-critical, high-liability, and financial devices using privacy-preserving local authorization. In disclosed embodiments, a user device, terminal, embedded controller, or local authorization module verifies that a requesting user satisfies one or more access conditions before enabling operation of a protected physical or digital system. The authorization process may be performed locally or at the edge, without requiring persistent storage of raw biometric data, identity templates, or reusable personal credentials by a relying party. The system outputs a limited authorization result, proof, token, permission state, or access decision indicating that …

Breaking The Cycle: The C.A.R.E. Manager Model To Address Intergenerational Incarceration, Amber Pelan, Miranda Jacobsen

Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Generational incarceration is a significant social problem in which criminal justice involvement is repeated across multiple generations of the same family. Children of incarcerated parents face elevated risks of trauma, poverty, educational disruption, mental health challenges, and later justice system involvement. These patterns demonstrate that incarceration often harms the entire family rather than only the individual offender. This project examines why generational incarceration occurs and identifies strategies to interrupt the cycle. The project uses a literature review methodology to integrate criminological 4 theory, sociological research, and policy analysis. These theories explain how parental incarceration disrupts child development, weakens family bonds, …

Proactive Violence Prevention: A Universal Bi-Annual Violence-Needs Assessment Tool For Grades K-12, Millie Fritzler, Emily Linehan

Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

“Violence prevention begins in the high chair, not the electric chair” (Reiner, as cited in Davis et al., 2002). Two elements are essential to successful violence prevention: interventions that start early and interventions that are consistent (Davis et al., 2002; Dodge et al., 2015). The first five years are crucial for development; therefore, violence prevention needs to happen as early as possible to identify and address potential risk factors before harmful behaviors become reinforced (Davis et al., 2002). Despite this knowledge for the need for early violence prevention, schools still lack a truly proactive, universal system for identifying violence-related risk …

Crowding, Capacity, And Reform: Exploring The Dynamics Of Correctional Policy, John Ursino

Criminology and Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the dynamic mechanisms that drive correctional population change and evaluates strategies for sustainable decarceration. Despite widespread calls for evidence-based corrections, methodological tools such as time series analysis remain underutilized for understanding population management. This dissertation addresses this gap through a three-paper design that applies advanced time-series methods to key stages of the correctional continuum. Chapter Two uses interrupted time-series analysis to evaluate the impacts of both proactive (policy-driven) and reactive (COVID-19 and court mandate-related) decarceration events in Washington State on admissions, technical violations, and recidivism outcomes, clarifying how policy design affects prison admission flows. Chapter Three employs …

Biology Major Awarded Goldwater Scholarship For Stem Research Leaders, Dave Larsen

College of Arts and Sciences Newsroom

Ashley Williams is UD’s seventh Goldwater Scholar and the fourth in biology.

Carrying The Dream Forward: Intergenerational Hope And Academic Persistence Among Historically Underserved Caregiving Graduate Students, Deborah D. Gaspard

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of eight graduate students who serve as caregivers, including those raising children and supporting elderly family members, and how these responsibilities complicate traditional forms of academic engagement. Despite a growing proportion of students with overlapping academic and caregiving roles, institutional structures remain largely oriented toward traditional students with minimal external obligations. Drawing on in-depth narratives, this study explored how caregiving demands shape students’ academic and social integration as well as how institutional policies and practices influence their persistence. Other research has shown that caregiving responsibilities significantly impact students’ time, energy, and access to …

Physical, Environmental, And Psychological Determinants Of Sleep Among Long-Distance South Asian Caregivers Of Older Adults: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Srujana Chekuri

Gerontology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Long-distance caregiving is an increasingly common yet understudied form of family care, particularly among immigrant communities whose cultural expectations of flial responsibility remain strong despite geographic separation. Among South Asian caregivers of older adults, caregiving across borders is shaped by powerful norms of duty, emotional endurance, and family obligation, creating distinctive patterns of stress that may profoundly afect health. One of the most consequential but underexamined outcomes of this caregiving context is sleep. This mixed-methods dissertation examined the physical, environmental, and psychological determinants of sleep among long-distance South Asian caregivers of older adults living in the United States. Guided by …

Collins Aerospace Automated Pressure Switch Tester, Joseph C. La Barbera, Kevin Cordero, Brenda Sanchez, Molly Bramm

Honors Capstones

For aerospace companies like Collins, pressure switches are crucial for safety, precise control, and reliability. As such, thorough testing of these switches is an essential step in Collins’ manufacturing workflow. However, current testing regimes suffer from several critical drawbacks. Firstly, they require constant manual supervision, costing precious time and manpower. Existing systems are also only able to test one single switch at a time, which creates backlog and delays. Lastly, current testing equipment has poor integration with the Collins digital ecosystem, hindering the utility of these devices. To solve these design challenges, a new system is required that is self-operable, …

Lunar Regolith Sintered Brick Apparatus, Andrew Fasano, Noah Parayil, Darius Felix Karra

Senior Design Project For Engineers

This project describes the preliminary design and analysis of the Semi-Autonomous Lunar Regolith Sintered Brick Apparatus that will assist in developing permanent infrastructure on the Moon. An issue with permanent lunar operations is the transportation of materials to the Moon. To address this, the designed device uses lunar regolith as the source material for producing bricks. This design considers the constraints set for operation with the Griffin lunar lander: maximum payload mass of 200 kg, power consumption below 5 kW, and limited payload dimensions. The design uses a combination of a laser sintering motion system, a regolith layering subsystem, a …

Environmental Law, Travis M. Trimble

Mercer Law Review

In 2025, in a Clean Water Act (“CWA”) citizen-suit challenge to a landowner’s filling of a tract of land on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, under a nationwide dredge-and-fill permit issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the “Corps”), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held that the landowner did not waive its right to challenge whether the tract was a wetland by virtue of submitting a form to the Corps in connection with its obtaining coverage under the permit that stated that the landowner accepted that the tract at issue was a jurisdictional water …

Eye In The Sky: The Eleventh Circuit Allows Warrantless Surveillance Of The Home Via Pole Cameras In United States V. Gregory, John T. Roberts

Mercer Law Review

What does “search” mean? Defining the word seems simple enough, yet, courts have struggled to provide a consistent answer under Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. This difficulty has only been exacerbated by rapidly advancing technological innovations in the field of surveillance. Specifically, courts across the country are split on whether long-term surveillance of an individual’s home via a pole camera is considered a search under the Fourth Amendment.

In United States v. Gregory, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit addressed this issue head on, holding that surveillance of this kind is not considered a search under the Fourth …

Trapped By Immunity: Women, Prisons, And The Need For Obvious Clarity, Alexandria E. Hatten

Mercer Law Review

For many Americans, the mere thought of the prison system evokes great fear and uncertainty. The fear is justified and reflected through rampant reports of sexual abuse, exploitation, and abuse of power by prison officials. Lack of privacy in prisons is largely supported and expected. The general population of prisons have unique safety concerns which require closer surveillance and diligent observation by correctional officers. Prison officers are tasked with ensuring that all contraband stays out of inmate possession—notwithstanding the constant changes of the general population. The security interests of a prison also extend to prison visitors. The known security concerns …

An Occupational Therapy Toolkit: Integrating Lymphedema And Patient Education In Oncology, Brianna Schwake

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Occupational therapy can be beneficial in oncology care, but a lot of professionals do not understand how occupational therapy fits in or what it even does. Lymphedema therapy is also overlooked and undereducated, while also being a rising need in therapists that are specialized in lymphedema.

This capstone synthesizes in-depth knowledge within the area of oncology and lymphedema through clinical skill development, education, and advocacy.

Focus Area:

• Clinical Skills
• Advocacy
• Education

Purpose:

Goal to create sustainable resources and interventions to empower patients and caregivers, advocate for the role of occupational therapy, and address overlooked needs such as mental health, caregiver …

Celiac Plexus Radiosurgery For Retroperitoneal Pain In Advanced Cancer: A Pre-Specified Secondary Analysis Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In A Phase Ii Single-Arm Trial, Aisling Barry, Ronen Fluss, Laura Dawson, David Hausner, Michael Buckstein, Talia Golin, Laurence Freedman, Marcin Miszczyk, Dayssy Diazpardo, Artur Aguiar, Dror Limon, Raphael Pfeffer, Moaz Ben-Ayun, Liat Hammer, Ziv Symon, Ofir Morag, Gali Jacobson, Adam Dicker, Jerzy Wydmanski, Camilla Zimmermann, Yaacov Lawrence

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal pain syndrome seen in pancreatic cancer is a major clinical challenge. Celiac plexus radiosurgery, a new palliative technique for retroperitoneal pain syndrome, decreased pain levels in a phase II study. Here Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) outcomes are reported.

METHODS: Evaluable patients, who were enrolled between January 2018 and December 2021, in an international single-arm Phase II ethics-approved study (NCT03323489), were included. The pre-specified secondary endpoint-change in HRQOL from baseline to 3- and 6-weeks post-treatment, was measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) version 4 questionnaire. Mean change was deemed clinically significant (CS) if …

Applied Accounting Perspectives: Case Studies In Theory, Regulation, And Practice, Zoe Justice

Honors Theses

This document includes two semesters of casework completed under the instruction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson in ACCY 420. These case studies were designed to expose accounting students to more applicable research to their field of study that will help them in their future careers. This document includes a total of eight case studies, spanning various topics in the accounting field. Most cases were completed in a group, with a few being completed individually. For each case, the topic was researched thoroughly using online resources and a solution was proposed or observations synthesized. During the second half of the course, my …

Beyond The Numbers: A Patterson School Of Accountancy Practicum, Olivia R. Mardis

Honors Theses

This practicum comprises six case studies that explore a range of accounting topics. While each case stands independently, the work collectively emphasizes the interpretation of financial information. Although financial statements may appear to some as a series of abstract figures, accountants are trained to understand and apply the “language of business,” transforming numerical data into meaningful insights that inform decision-making.

The first case provides an objective analysis of a company’s Form 10-K, focusing on interpreting financial statements and using that interpretation to evaluate performance and guide decisions. The second case examines the Corporate Transparency Act, analyzing its intended purpose, potential …

Functionalized Nanodiamonds As Binding Platforms For Single-Stranded Dna, Mallory A. Chapman

Honors Theses

Nanodiamonds (NDs) offer a promising platform for biomolecular applications due to their stability, biocompatibility, and three-dimensional structure. This study focused on developing a nanodiamond–DNA complex in which streptavidin-functionalized NDs would form a protective shell around biotinylated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), creating a core–shell system like an “M&M” candy with DNA at the center and a protective coating on the outside. DNA has many uses in nanotechnology, including DNA origami, nanomachines, and drug delivery systems, but its degradation limits its practical use, making protective strategies essential.

ND–DNA conjugates were prepared using biotin–streptavidin interactions and analyzed using gel electrophoresis. Initial separation on agarose …

The Influence Of Ole Miss And Nil On Local Business Strategy In Oxford, Mississippi, Benjamin D. Blossom Mr.

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that while NIL policies have introduced new financial and promotional dynamics, the relationship between the University of Mississippi athletics and the Oxford business community is still primarily shaped by long-standing, collaborative practices. The study focuses on how NIL is influencing these established relationships and the economic landscape of a college town where the university acts as a major economic driver. Through six in-depth interviews with Oxford business owners across retail, hospitality, food service, and events, the research finds that athletics, and football in particular, fuel much of the city’s economic activity. However, businesses see NIL-driven endorsements as …

Prematurity And Special Education: Raising Awareness Of The Connections Between Preterm Births And Special Education, Nadia R. Corder

Honors Theses

In this thesis, the goal was to find the link, if any, between prematurity and special education, with regards to probability of special education and outcomes, and to create a means of professional development for not only special education teachers about prematurity risks and effects on students but also parental education about the possible procedures of their child’s education. This is accomplished through the organization of infographic pamphlets for parents and an online professional development presentation. Both these formats are compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility parameters. A literature review was conducted to achieve this goal using …